The two primary types of vending machines used to dispense beverages are bottle/can vending machines which dispense individual, pre-packaged beverages and cup-type vending machines which dispense a liquid beverage from a nozzle and into an awaiting cup. The bottling industry both supplies and maintains a large control over the current bottle/can vending machines.
The vending industry has recognized the need to increase the use of cup-type vending machines in order to compete with bottle/can vending machines. In order for cup-type vending machines to better compete with bottle/can vending machines, cup-type vending machines of the prior art need to be improved.
Cup-type vending machines must be designed to successively dispense beverages into cups. The successive dispensing of beverages should not be periodically interrupted by failures in the vending machine to properly dispense a beverage. In addition, cup-type vending machines should be designed to offer a wide variety of beverages and should limit the intervals at which machines must be restocked.
Problems and difficulties have occurred with cup-type vending machines due to a recent development in how beverage syrup located in the vending machine is packaged. Early cup-type vending machines used non-pressurized, holding tanks to supply the beverage syrup. The holding tanks used with the early cup-type vending machines were rigid and contained air. Because of the rigid shape of the holding tank, and the fact that the air was contained in the top section of the tank, and a withdrawal tube drew syrup from a point beneath the level of the fluid, such vending machines did not have a problem with air entering the dispensing system. A recent change in the preferred packaging of syrup has created problems for cup-type vending machines that have not been overcome by the vending industry.
The preferred packaging of beverage syrups which supply vending machines is now a disposable, flexible package referred to as a bag-in-box package (BIB package). BIB packages include a flexible bag for containing syrup and a box for holding the bag, and are preferred because of sanitation and economy factors. The BIB packages are designed to be connected to a dispensing system that controllably dispenses a fixed amount of syrup into a cup. Once all the syrup in a BIB package has been dispensed, the used BIB package is disposed and a full BIB package is brought on line. In order to avoid to limit the intervals at which a vending machine must be restocked, BIB packages containing the same type of syrup are sequentially connected by a changeover valve that automatically switches to a second full BIB package upon depletion of a first BIB package.
One primary problem with cup-type vending machines of the prior art is their inability to account for air that enters the dispensing system when BIB packages are used to supply the vending machine. The BIB packages used to dispense syrup contain at least some air in the bags and when a full BIB package is manually placed on-line or when a full BIB package is automatically switched on line by a change-over valve, air will enter the dispensing system.
Prior art dispensing systems used in cup-type vending machines include a bellows pump and/or a diaphragm pump which uses a vacuum to successively draw a pre-set amount of syrup from the syrup supply for each vend. A vend refers to each time a customer makes a payment into the vending machine and selects a beverage. When these prior art dispensing systems are used with BIB packages, air from the BIB packages enters the dispensing system and flows through the diaphragm or bellows pump. The diaphragm or bellows pump treats air in the system as if it were syrup and destroys the dispensing system's ability to successfully draw and dispense a pre-set amount of syrup into a cup for each vend. Each time a new BIB package is brought on-line, air enters the dispensing system and causes approximately two to five vends to malfunction and not properly dispense beverage syrup into the awaiting cup.
In a vending environment, the failure of the dispensing system to properly dispense the selected beverage for several successive vends each time a new BIB package is brought on-line is a serious problem. Customers may rightfully refuse to patronize a cup-type vending machine that fails to dispense the selected beverage after the vending machine has accepted payment from the customer.
No one in the vending industry has solved the problem of air entering the dispensing system when BIB packages are used. One different type of beverage dispensing system, a counter-top beverage dispenser typically used for over-the-counter sales, has been adapted with a vent valve to help eliminate air entering the dispensing system when BIB packages are used. Unlike vending machines, counter-top beverage dispensers do not require a direct payment into a coin-operated mechanism controlling the beverage dispenser. Instead, for the counter-top beverage dispensers, a customer typically pays an operator who dispenses the beverage by pressing the selection button, and allows an individual to release a beverage from a nozzle upon pressing a selection button or cup lever associated with an offered beverage.
The selection button activates a solenoid-operated valve which releases a pressurized beverage fluid. In a limited number of counter-top beverage dispensers, a vent valve is positioned before the solenoid-operated valve which controls the release of the beverage into a cup. The counter-top beverage dispensers are pressurized systems that continuously supply and maintain a pressurized beverage fluid to the solenoid-operated valve. Vent valves are infrequently used in counter-top beverage dispensers because the introduction of air into the dispensing system of a counter-top beverage dispenser is not a significant problem. Because the dispensing systems of counter-top beverage dispensers are pressurized, air is compressed at the solenoid valve. Compressed air does not substantially interfere with the dispensing of beverages from the solenoid valve and seldom causes malfunctioning vendor serves where a customer fails to receive a beverage after payment and selection has been made. When a malfunctioning vend does occur in a counter-top beverage machine, no significant problem occurs because an operator simply re-presses the beverage release button to allow the air to escape.
In contrast, cup-type vending machines use a different type of dispensing system and are designed for a different purpose. Cup-type vending machines, for example, use a vacuum-type dispensing system, and in addition, malfunctioning vends cannot be rectified by an operator simply re-pressing a button. Air introduced into a vacuum-type dispensing system has a more adverse effect on the dispensing system and creates more vending malfunctions as compared to a pressurized system using a solenoid valve. In addition, a customer is left without a beverage after making a payment when there is a malfunctioning of a vending machine. Thus, introduction of air into the dispensing system of a cup-type vending machine creates a substantial problem. No one in the vending industry has successfully solved this problem.
Another hindrance to expanded use of cup-type vending machines is the relatively large space requirements needed for a cup-type vending machine. Cup-type vending machines typically offer several different types of beverages for selection. For each beverage offered for selection, multiple BIB packages and a separate pumping system is needed for each beverage offered. Further, other components such as a cup carousel, a carbonator, a refrigeration system, a CO.sub.2 cylinder, and an icemaker must also be made available.
Some cup-type vending machines of the prior art do not have the space for a plurality of BIB packages. Many cup-type vending machines currently available are designed to supply beverage syrup from holding tanks. These currently available vending machines cannot typically be easily converted to hold a plurality of BIB packages. In an attempt to reduce the space requirements, the number of beverages offered for selection or the number of BIB packages successively connected together for each type of beverage can be reduced. However, limiting the number of beverages offered for selection reduces total sales, and limiting the number of packages successively connected together requires the machines to be restocked more frequently. Such measures to account for the space requirements of a vending machine limits the ability of cup-type vending machines to compete with bottle/can vending machines.
The vending industry has not been able to solve the above-discussed problems of cup-type vending machines, and an improved cup-type vending machine is needed.